How Do We Make Online Education More Than Video Lectures?

In the past year there's been a real boom in online education platforms, but what sets these models apart from the average lecture-on-demand model? According to Stanford professor Daphne Koller, whose startup Coursera launched in February and has 640,000 students from 190 countries, if they really want to reach the masses, online learning platforms have to provide more than just on-demand video lectures.

Indeed, in this TED talk, Koller shares how Coursera has tried to figure out how to bring a "real course experience" to the table. Doing so, says Koller, makes it possible to offer a "top quality education to everyone around the world for free." That would go a long way toward establishing "education as a fundamental human right," making lifelong learning the norm, and paving the way for a new era of innovation.